Chennai, April 20 (BPNS)

With Sri Lanka engulfed in an economic crisis, the inflow of refugees from the island nation continues to Indian shores. The latest is the arrival of a single mother and her two children at Dhanushkodi on Wednesday morning.

Tamil Nadu marine police on a tip-off from local fishermen recovered the mother and two children from the Arichal mount at Dhanushkodi. As the trio did not have any valid documents or papers, they were brought to the marine police station at Rameswaram and are being questioned by the police personnel.

Police sources told BPNS that the woman Varshini (37) and her children, Nainika (11) and Rangesan ( 4) are residents of Batticaloa in Sri Lanka.

According to investigating officers who spoke to BPNS, the woman had informed them that she had paid Rs 2.5 lakh Sri Lankan rupees to a boat owner to illegally sail her to Indian shores. She said that they commenced the journey from the Gulf of Mannar at 10 am on Tuesday and reached in the early morning on Wednesday.

The mother and children are lodged at the Mandapam refugee camp.

Varshini while speaking to media persons at Mandapam refugee camp said, “ Not only has the price increased, essential items are scarce in our country now. An egg costs Rs 50 and we are not able to get milk powder even if we pay the hiked price. As a single mother of two children, I find it hard to live in Sri Lanka and have taken great risks to reach India to lead a better life.”

She also said that she had sold her last gold ornaments to pay the amount of Rs 2.5 lakh Sri Lankan rupees to the boat owner to travel to India. The woman said that she and her children waited for three days at the Gulf of Mannar to get the boat to travel to India.

With the arrival of Varshini and her two children, the number of Sri Lankan refugees who have reached the Indian shores and housed at Mandapam since the economic crisis engulfed the Island nation has touched 42.